title: Empathic accuracy and cognition in schizotypal personality disorder.
abstract: Interpersonal dysfunction contributes to significant disability in the schizophrenia spectrum. Schizotypal Personality Disorder (SPD) is a schizophrenia-related personality demonstrating social cognitive impairment in the absence of frank psychosis. Past research indicates that cognitive dysfunction or schizotypy may account for social cognitive dysfunction in this population. We tested SPD subjects and healthy controls on the Empathic Accuracy (EA) paradigm and the Reading of the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), assessing the impact of EA on social support. We also explored whether EA differences could be explained by intelligence, working memory, trait empathy, or attachment avoidance. SPD subjects did not differ from controls in RMET, but demonstrated lower EA during negative valence videos, associated with lower social support. Dynamic, multimodal EA paradigms may be more effective at capturing interpersonal dysfunction than static image tasks such as RMET. Schizotypal severity, trait empathy, and cognitive dysfunction did not account for empathic dysfunction in SPD, although attachment avoidance is related to empathic differences. Empathic dysfunction for negative affect contributes to decreased social support in the schizophrenia spectrum. Future research may shed further light on potential links between attachment avoidance, empathic dysfunction, and social support.
authors.affiliation: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, NY 10029, United States; James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 130 West Kingsbridge Rd., Bronx, NY 10468, United States. Electronic address: luis.ripoll@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Luis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Ripoll
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: Maria Mercedes
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Perez-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Kathryn Sloan
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Strike
authors.forename: Ayelet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boussi
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bartz
authors.forename: Kevin N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Ochsner
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Siever
authors.forename: Antonia S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: New
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attachment; Empathy; Personality; Schizotypal personality disorder; Social support; Working memory